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Originally Posted by fijigabe0
while i agree with you, that the US contributes greatly to the problems facing the world, the way you presented your argument was ridiculous. you quoted absolutely no one, on your way to bashing the US, and the "facts" you presented were, for the most part, wrong. The US may produce more than its fair share of carbon, but a large percentage of the population at least believes it's a problem.
now, to say that many Prius owners buy their cars to be seen in them, again, leads me to the question: where do you get your information? a comedian like Jay Leno? hardly a source of credible information. i think, and i have no information to back me up, other than my own observations, that most Prius owners are driving around in them because they believe: (1) they are saving on fuel and (2) they are saving the earth. there are some who fall into category (3), which is those who love producing Smug, and smelling their own farts, but i believe them to be the minority. they are still stuck in their Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Navigators (or 5-series & E-Classes, etc...)
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OK, maybe I wasn't very diplomatic in my approach but the facts still remain to be true, the USA after China is the bigger offender for CO2 emissions and it is not solely down to population, the UK as an example has a fifth of the population of the USA but produce a tenth of the emissions.
Americans in general are very patriotic, preferring to buy home grown where ever possible and I admire that, the problem is that for one reason or another they demand more for their money and generally get it. Their cars are cheaper than Europe (even examples made here) and they get better warranties, it's that bang for your buck philosophy which not only applies to performance but quantity as well, somehow bigger is always better.
You may shrug off Leno's comments as BS but I believe that there is a definite number of owners that buy them to look good, a PR stunt instead of genuine care, especially among the rich. Cars like the Prius do more long term damage to the environment than anything, the manufacture and disposal of these batteries are far worse than an efficient petrol or diesel engine so why produce them. The simple answer is PR, it looks good to the public of which the majority know very little about their long term effects.
Audi's CEO has openly admitted that Hybrids are not as efficient as diesels but they are forced to develop them to keep up with the Jones so to speak. If Toyota, Honda, etc have them then so must they and I bet BMW and Mercedes feel the exact same way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fijigabe0
Now, my point on the 4-cylinder engines was that until BMW designed a way to make 4-cylinder engines that appealed to American consumers, they realized it was better to NOT offer the engine at all, instead focusing on economical 6-cylinder engines. now that BMW has developed the way to produce 4-bangers that Americans will want, while still preserving the "luxury" appearance that BMW has in this country, then we're talking. however, a 3-cylinder engine will be a tough sell here in the US.
if you want to make sure you can continue driving your sporty BMW, listen to the US market. they only make up 39% of BMW's global sales... think about what BMW would be, if they didn't sell here.
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I bet you anything that US brand dealers will have a field day when BMW start introducing 4 cylinder engined cars, they will use the engine size of their cars to look down on BMW products. It's that bigger is better philosophy and I bet it will work for a while until the US consumer finally sees sense that
it's not how big it is but how you use it, now where have I heard that one before. I can just see BMW's ad campaign for these smaller engines.
